Future PGA stars descend on Bluffton at Playes Amateur

When Bill Haas, James Driscoll and Roberto Castro played together in the final group last Sunday at the AT&T National, I'll admit I didn't notice one thing they had in common.

But Steve Wilmot was quick to point it out when I spoke to him over the phone Monday: All three PGA Tour standouts once competed at the Players Amateur in Bluffton. Wilmot, the tournament director for the Players Am and the RBC Heritage, understandably considered it a point of pride.

Haas won the AT&T National title, much like he won the Players Am at Belfair Plantation back in 2002. The high-level amateur tournament will be contested for the 14th time this week at its new home, Berkeley Hall Club, and it has clearly developed into as big an annual event as there is in town.

The Players Am offers local golf fans a unique opportunity, as they can see some of tomorrow's PGA stars right in their backyard.

Many of this year's participants will turn professional this year, while most of their competitors will join them in the pro ranks in a year or two. It won't be long before some of them are playing in the last group in a high-profile PGA event.

The first Players Am champion, Ben Curtis (2000) won the British Open three years later. Players Am alumnus Lucas Glover, a former Clemson standout, was the 2009 U.S. Open champion. Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Nick Watney also have gone from playing in Bluffton to winning on the PGA Tour.

Wilmot told me the strength of the tournament field often depends on the dates of other major events, like the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. The Public Links was scheduled the same week as the Players Am last year, but it is one week later this year.

That's one reason the Players Am has a slightly larger field than last year, having grown from 78 to 84. It also helped the tournament bring in 10 players who recently were named to NCAA Division I All-America teams.

A few of those players could even wind up here to start their pro careers, like Clemson graduate Kyle Stanley, who spent his first two years out of college training at Berkeley Hall. Other aspiring pros like Brad Benjamin, the 2009 Public Links winner, and Nathan Stamey have made their homes in the Bluffton area.

This week is a bright spot on the Bluffton sports calendar, and it's always a welcome one as we move through the long, hot summer.